An Analysis of English Subject-Verb-Agreement and Verb Inflections by Morpho-Syntactic Approach for EFL Teaching at Rajamangala University of Technology, Thailand

บทคัดย่อ

          This study aimed to improve English as a foreign language (EFL) Thai students’ writing on the subject-verb agreement (SVA) using a mixed research method with two phases. The results of the content analysis revealed one simplesystem of generating English SVA patterns and verb inflection forms analyzed based on the Minimalist Program (MP) in the framework of the morpho-syntactic approach from General English textbooks used by the nine RMUT campuses in the academic year 2020. The system of the interface between English SVA requirements in syntax and verb inflection formations in morphology constructs SVA patterns with the proper verb forms through the morphological processes of suffixation and suppletion. In the 2nd phase, the samples were sixty-three Business English freshmen from the Rajamangala University of Technology, Wang Klai Kangwon Campus (RMUTR), which was determined by the Krejcie & Morgan table and selected by simple random sampling. The findings unveiled 1) the contents of the CLT teaching materials in the PowerPoint templates applied from the models of the content analysis for the writing lessons, which created four topics that combined the knowledge of syntax and the morphology of word formation in verb inflection to construct English SVA sentences in various contexts, 2) the students gained significantly higher average scores at p=0.001, and the effect size (Cohen’s d) at 1.18 was a huge effect size after using the CLT teaching materials, and 3) the overall average scores of the student’s satisfaction in all three aspects towards the CLT teaching materials were 4.71/5.00 (SD.=0.32), reflecting a very high level of satisfaction. The findings of the study suggest that CLT teaching materials that combine the knowledge of English syntax and morphology can be used to help students produce English SVA patterns and verb inflection forms more accurately.